Green Party Watch

GPUS Release:

WASHINGTON, DC — In the wake of a US House vote passing a Democratic health care bill (HR 3962), Green Party leaders and health care activists are calling for a defeat of the bill, calling it little more than a program to subsidize the insurance industry.

Greens are urging supporters of real universal health care to intensify efforts to win Capitol Hill support for Single-Payer/Medicare For All national health care.

“Democrats from President Obama on down know that Single-Payer is the best solution. They’ve said so. But instead of eliminating the waste and inefficiency of for-profit health insurance, the Democrats’ ‘insurance industry life-support’ plan would increase insurance company profits by forcing every American to purchase their inferior products. Many Democrats who previously supported Single-Payer have turned their backs, abandoning real universal health care out of loyalty to the President and their party,” said Midge Potts, Missouri Green candidate for the US Senate (MySpace.com/Midge_Potts_US_Senate).

The Green Party supports Single-Payer, which would guarantee quality health care for every American, allow patients to choose their health care providers, cut paperwork for physicians and hospitals, and reduce health care costs by a third by eliminating the for-profit insurance industry ‘middle man’ (http://www.gp.org/campaigns/health/single-payer). Greens advocate a Single-Payer system run by a not-for-profit trust of health care providers, health care advocates, and taxpayers, rather than by the federal government. The Democratic bill accomplishes none of these goals.

“Democrats want phony health care reform, Republicans want zero reform. Greens seek real reform by making health care a right instead of a privilege, just as we’ve made Social Security, education, and the protections we enjoy from fire and police departments a right for everyone,” added Ms. Potts, one of nine peaceful protesters arrested on November 5 at the Capitol Hill office of Sen. Joseph Lieberman until the senator agreed to stop taking campaign contributions from the insurance industry (video clip: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=59896394&blogId=517420995).
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Green Party endorses national Day of Action for Single-Payer health care on May 30

• Health care industry pledge to slow health care costs, announced by Obama on Monday, is a scam to block real reform, say Greens

• Greens call for charges against the Baucus 13 (Single-Payer advocates who spoke out at Senate Finance Committee roundtables on health care) to be dropped, criticize retreats from Single-Payer by congressional caucuses and MoveOn

• Green Party Speakers Bureau: Green leaders available to speak on health care

WASHINGTON, DC — The Green Party of the United States has endorsed the national Day of Action for Single-Payer national health care (Medicare For All) on Saturday, May 30.

The Day of Action is being organized by Healthcare-Now and other groups dedicated to winning a health care system that covers all Americans, providing treatment regardless of employment, income, age, or prior medical condition, with full choice of physician, hospital, or other health care provider.

A more immediate goal is to have Single-Payer advocates — who speak for the will of a majority of Americans — represented in all congressional and White House meetings, roundtables, and hearings on health care. Single-Payer has been barred from the public debate, because of the influence of insurance, HMO, and pharmaceutical lobbies, through campaign contributions, ‘astroturf’ (false grassroots) operations, and dishonest advertising.
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From the Green Party:

Obama’s choice: support health care for all Americans or support the insurance industry, say Greens

President Obama can either work to enact health care for all Americans or he can support insurance and HMO industry profits, say Greens

• Mandates and other market-based plans will not solve the health care crisis; Single-Payer (Medicare For All) makes health care a right for all Americans

• Obama’s plan for national computerization of medical records can only guarantee patients’ privacy and security under Single-Payer

• Green Party Speakers Bureau list of party activists available to speak on health care: http://gp.org/speakers/speakers-health-care.php

WASHINGTON, DC — President Obama has a choice — he can either work for universal health care or he can satisfy the demands of insurance industry lobbies for continued private profit, said Green Party leaders today.
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Stating that enacting a single-payer health care program will boost the ailing US economy, the Green Party of the United States is urging the implementation of a single payer health care system based on Medicare. A single-payer plan would remove the expensive burden of employer-based health coverage providing a major boost to the US economy. Greens are concerned that progressive groups, unions will acquiesce to the Obama’s ‘life-support for insurance industry’ plan.

WASHINGTON, DC — Green Party leaders urged Americans to take up President-elect Barack Obama’s call for discussion on health care and demand a single-payer national health care program, also called Medicare For All.

Greens said that the current financial crisis is an ideal time to introduce single-payer.

“Businesses have been burdened for decades with the high expense and administrative burden of employer-based health care benefits. Single-payer will alleviate the burden and stimulate the economy. It will also cost working people far less than they now pay for private coverage. Businesses large and small, unions, and all middle- and low-income working Americans will benefit from single-payer,” said Sanda Everette, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States.
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